Having left Etosha with a final visit to a waterhole shared by all the animals we had become used to and, dare I say, a little blase about we set off for the Erongo Mountains National Park and the delightful Ai Aiba Lodge: just the place to relax with glorious views and lots of interesting things to do. Not having to be out at crack of dawn was a real treat as it allowed time to enjoy the views outside our rooms with a leisurely coffee before breakfast or ( for the energetic!) an opportunity to walk along one of the well-marked trails to view some of the wildlife and enjoy the warmth of the morning sun.
Meals were a delight and the activities gave us plenty to think about. Most of us decided to visit the San People Museum. The San are one of the ancient tribes of Namibia related to the Bushmen of the Kalahari and a museum has been set up near the Lodge to demonstrate some traditional arts. The families there seem not to be exploited. They are brought from their tribal areas in the north of Namibia by the museum’s owner and are given places to live while they work . School age children stay at home and the families work for a few weeks at a time and are then replaced by others who do the next few weeks.
The women showed us how they make jewelry and other ornaments from ostrich egg shells. They were proud of their work and of their children who were the bundle of fun that toddlers always are in these places. Chasing around and trying to touch us, laughing when we responded by backing away.
The whole community joined in dancing for us, too, and invited us to buy their produce but, interestingly, there was no pressure as in some other villages I’ve visited. Nor was there any attempt to show the homes: so really no intrusion which we all appreciated.
Part of the visit was to see rock art said to be more than 2000 years old – I wouldn’t be surprised if it was earlier. Our guide, Elias, one of the hotel’s management team, went over the top to make sure we saw all we should even to the extent of taking two of us out again in the evening to see what he felt it was too hot to go to in the heat of the midday sun,
It seems the Ai Aiba logo originated from the cave art!
A lazy afternoon in glorious surroundings and then a ‘bonus’ trip out with Elias before another amazing meal served by smiling waiters and waitresses who were proud of the service they offered.
In our ‘bonus’ trip Elias had offered to take us to see some rock art that we didn’t have time for in the morning : we had enjoyed the San people and their demonstrations so much that it was too hot to stay in the park longer. Expecting a quick trip we were very surprised to be taken to what felt like the very edge of the property as the sun began to set and the colours became deeper and richer. And then we saw the rock that one of our group had asked about earlier in the day: amazing!
It was surrounded by stunning landscapes and tucked under and in the cave created by the cleft rock were more interesting rock paintings. What a treat!
We had not expected to see giraffe and zebra in rock art! Nor had we expected a glorious sunset ride through the park.
We were all ready to stay longer but had to leave early the next morning….. there was more to see……
Living the Journey 
You really are having a great time Kath, the meet up with The San I find particularly interesting, and of course the rock art. You seem to ‘have landed on your feet’ with Elias.
Almost forgot to mention the photos, – they’re not bad!!!!!
Mike
Great photos of an amazing place. You’ve caught the spirit really well. And I think you’re absolutely right to doubt the age of the rock art. The guide book said 20,000 years not 2,000 ( Elias got his zeros mixed up). Cracking blog!
Tom – Thanks, I would have been prepared to consider 2 million, I think!